1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a cartridge of a printing material supply system.
2. Related Art
In a printing material supply system, a cartridge is mounted in a printing device, the cartridge supplies a printing material to the printing device, and the printing device executes printing using the printing material. Such a cartridge is provided with a printing material containing section and a printing material supply port, the printing material is contained in the printing material containing section, and the printing material is supplied with regard to the printing device through the printing material supply port. In order to prevent a printing material from unintentionally leaking from the printing material supply port, a cartridge provided with a negative pressure generating member that generates negative pressure in the printing material containing section has been known (see the publications mentioned below).
A cartridge provided with a plurality of printing material supply ports that respectively supply a printing material from a common printing material containing section is proposed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-95129. This publication discloses that a continuous porous member such as polyurethane foam is provided in the printing material containing section as the negative pressure generating member.
Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-230557 discloses that an elastic member such as a spring or rubber is provided as the negative pressure generating member, and the elastic member constructs a valve for opening and closing a flow path in which a printing material is distributed to the printing material supply port. Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-170027 discloses that a spring is provided as the negative pressure generating member, and the spring constructs a valve for opening and closing a flow path which connects the printing material containing section to the air.